In just a few short years, TikTok has become one of the world’s most popular and fastest-growing social media platforms. According to Statista, TikTok had 656 million global monthly active users in 2021 and was projected to reach nearly 1.5 billion users by 2025. The app’s growth has been exponential, with TikTok gaining over 1 billion first-time users in 2021 alone.
However, TikTok’s meteoric rise has not been without controversy. The app, which allows users to create and share short videos set to music, has come under intense scrutiny in recent years over issues like data privacy, content moderation, and the spread of misinformation. TikTok is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, which has prompted fears that user data could be accessed by the Chinese government. This has led some countries, like India, to ban TikTok entirely while regulatory pressure against the app has mounted in Western countries like the United States.
TikTok Banned in India
In June 2020, the Indian government banned TikTok and 58 other Chinese apps over data privacy and national security concerns after border clashes with China (wikipedia). At the time, India was TikTok’s largest market, with over 200 million active users in the country (wikipedia). The ban meant that TikTok was no longer available to download on app stores in India and existing users could not access the platform. According to Forbes, the purpose of the ban appeared to focus on preventing further public access to TikTok in India due to worries about data being shared with China (forbes).
The loss of the Indian market was a major blow to TikTok’s growth. India accounted for 30% of TikTok’s 2 billion downloads at the time, and around 611 million lifetime users came from India (Wikipedia). While TikTok saw fast growth initially in markets like the US, the ban cut off access to what had become the app’s most important audience.
US Government Scrutiny
The US government has raised national security concerns over TikTok’s ties to China. According to a 2022 report from the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs committee (1), TikTok’s parent company ByteDance could be compelled to support and cooperate with intelligence work controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. There are fears that the Chinese government could potentially access TikTok user data or censor content.
In 2020, then-President Trump signed an executive order to ban TikTok unless it severed ties with ByteDance and sold its US operations (2). The order cited concerns that TikTok could enable surveillance, tracking data collection, and censorship on behalf of the Chinese government. However, courts blocked the executive order from taking effect.
While no evidence of Chinese government interference has emerged, US lawmakers continue to view TikTok as a national security threat. The app has come under scrutiny from the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) over its data collection policies and content moderation (3).
Sources:
(1) https://www.defense.gov/News/News-Stories/Article/Article/3354874/leaders-say-tiktok-is-potential-cybersecurity-risk-to-us/
(2) https://www.pewresearch.org/short-reads/2023/07/10/majority-of-americans-say-tiktok-is-a-threat-to-national-security/
(3) https://www.cnn.com/2023/03/21/tech/tiktok-national-security-concerns/index.html
Trump Administration TikTok Ban
In August 2020, then-President Donald Trump issued executive orders to ban TikTok in the United States over national security concerns related to the app’s Chinese parent company ByteDance. Trump’s executive order 13942 sought to prohibit transactions with ByteDance and TikTok in 45 days.
However, the ban was blocked by federal courts. Judges issued injunctions preventing the Commerce Department from enforcing the executive orders and banning TikTok. They ruled the ban likely exceeded the President’s authority under emergency economic powers law.
While Trump’s efforts to ban TikTok were not implemented, they marked a significant escalation in scrutiny of the app by the U.S. government over data privacy and national security concerns.
Data Privacy Concerns
TikTok has faced allegations over its data privacy practices and lack of transparency around how it collects and uses user data. Critics argue that TikTok’s privacy policies are unclear about what data is being gathered and how it is shared. There are concerns that the app collects excessive amounts of user data, including browsing history, location, and device information (Request privacy information – TikTok).
In 2019, TikTok paid $5.7 million to settle FTC allegations that it illegally collected personal information from children under age 13 without parental consent. The FTC found that TikTok knew many users were under 13 and still failed to seek parental consent before collecting names, email addresses, and other data (TikTok is hit with $368 million fine under Europe’s strict … – AP News). This highlighted concerns about the app’s handling of children’s data.
In 2022, TikTok was fined $92 million by South Korea for mishandling children’s data. European regulators also fined TikTok over $368 million in September 2022 for violating children’s privacy rules related to targeted advertising and default public profiles settings for minors (TikTok fined $368 million children’s data privacy violations … – Axios).
App Store Removal Considered
In early 2023, Apple and Google faced increasing pressure to remove TikTok from their respective app stores. Several U.S. lawmakers called for the app’s removal over national security concerns related to TikTok’s ownership by Chinese company ByteDance.
In February 2023, Senator Josh Hawley wrote to Apple CEO Tim Cook and Google CEO Sundar Pichai urging them to remove TikTok from their app stores, stating “TikTok’s vast influence and aggressive data collection pose a major security risk.” [1] Hawley cited concerns that the Chinese government could access American user data through ByteDance’s ownership of TikTok.
Fellow Republican Senator Marco Rubio also called on Apple and Google to ban TikTok, warning it could be used to influence or censor content. With mounting government pressure, Apple and Google had to seriously consider whether to remove one of the world’s most popular apps from their app stores.
TikTok’s Response
TikTok has strongly denied allegations that it poses a national security threat or mishandles user data (TikTok, 2023). In response to criticism, TikTok published a blog post detailing its content moderation practices and how it protects user data (Quora, 2023). The company claims that US user data is stored in Virginia with strict controls, and that Chinese government officials have no access to TikTok data (VOA News, 2023).
In response to criticism, TikTok has implemented changes aimed at assuaging data privacy and security concerns. This includes opening a “Transparency Center” where outside experts can examine its moderation practices and source code. TikTok is also minimizing employee access to user data and partnering with organizations like Oracle for secure cloud storage of US TikTok user data.
Impact on TikTok Growth
The controversies surrounding TikTok have created some uncertainty that has impacted the app’s growth and operations. According to an analysis from Real Instituto Elcano, the potential bans and restrictions on TikTok “directly threaten the commercial expansion” of the platform.
However, despite the controversies, TikTok has remained hugely popular. As of July 2022, TikTok had over 1 billion monthly active users globally, making it one of the most downloaded apps in recent years. While growth may have slowed in some markets like India where it is banned, TikTok continues to see strong user figures in other countries.
TikTok’s parent company ByteDance has tried responding to data privacy concerns and government scrutiny by making operational changes, opening transparency centers, and assuring users their data is secure. However, regulatory uncertainty persists, especially in major markets like the US.
The controversies appear to have impacted TikTok’s business partnerships and advertising relationships as well. Some advertisers paused spending on TikTok during proposed bans, unwilling to commit resources until TikTok’s fate was clearer.
While TikTok’s tremendous popularity has persisted despite the controversies, the regulatory scrutiny and bans have likely slowed the app’s growth. However, TikTok continues working to address concerns in hopes of stabilizing its regulatory status.
Current Status
As of now, TikTok remains available for download on both the App Store and Google Play. Despite the threats of bans and restrictions, Apple and Google have not yet removed TikTok from their app stores (1).
However, TikTok’s future availability remains uncertain. The app continues to face heavy scrutiny from governments over data privacy concerns. With the U.S. previously issuing executive orders to restrict TikTok, there is still a possibility of further regulatory actions that could lead to the app’s removal (2).
For the time being, new and existing users can still download TikTok from major app stores. But whether the app remains available in the long run will depend on the outcomes of ongoing regulatory investigations and potential data security changes made by TikTok.
Sources:
(1) https://apps.apple.com/us/app/tiktok/id835599320
(2) https://www.reuters.com/technology/tiktok-says-removing-content-offensive-guidelines-2021-09-21/
Conclusion
In summary, TikTok has faced an uncertain future in major app stores like the Apple App Store and Google Play Store due to escalating tensions between China and the United States. The key events that led to this uncertainty were:
– TikTok getting banned in India over national security concerns related to its Chinese ownership.
– Increasing scrutiny by the US government and the Trump administration over TikTok’s data practices and potential risks to national security.
– An executive order by President Trump in 2020 that aimed to ban TikTok if it was not sold to an American company.
– Widespread data privacy concerns, given TikTok’s Chinese ownership and the possibility of data sharing with the Chinese government.
For TikTok to remain firmly available on app stores long-term, a few things likely need to happen:
– Full compliance with data privacy laws and practices in key markets like the US.
– Moving company headquarters and data storage outside of China to ease national security concerns.
– Increased transparency around data handling policies.
– Structural changes to company ownership and management to distance it from its Chinese parent company ByteDance.
